


My Son

by anotherfngrl



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Bad Parent Martin Whitly, Fatherhood, Gen, Gil Arroyo Acting as Malcolm Bright's Parental Figure, Gil Arroyo is Malcolm Bright's Parent, Good Parent Gil Arroyo, Parental Gil Arroyo, Possessive Martin Whitly, Protective Gil Arroyo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29638716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherfngrl/pseuds/anotherfngrl
Summary: No matter what you do, he'll always be my son.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Martin Whitly
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2021





	My Son

**Author's Note:**

> Corner of madness puts up such good prompts I'm apparently writing Prodigal Son again!

Gil has made it a point, over the years, to avoid this place. He can't do so now, though. Not when Malcolm's life depended on his first visit, days ago. When he'd told Martin Whitly his son had been taken by his old protégé, and seen real terror in his eyes. Terror enough to make him doubt whether Malcolm would survive.

But Malcolm did survive, and so he's back here. Not to reassure Whitly, or thank him for his help. But to make sure what happened to Malcolm this week will never happen again.

Whitly dispenses with the pretext of casual joking, for once. "My boy," he demands, as soon as he sees Gil. "Damn it, Arroyo, you tell me what happened to my boy."

"He survived. He survived the Junkyard Killer just like he survived the Surgeon. Because he's smarter, and braver, and better than you and your filth," Gil tells him.

"Malcolm didn't survive me. Malcolm had nothing to fear from me," Martin Whitly insists, his jovial, kind doctor façade making Gil's skin crawl. "I'm his father."

"You're many things, Dr. Whitly. But don't you dare pretend to be that. Not when you almost got him killed, this week," Gil demands. He forces himself to take a step back, when every instinct wants to grab Whitly, wants to hit him, shake him, strangle him.

He'd never believed Malcolm, about the girl in the box. He'd thought she was a nightmare, a metaphor, a boogeyman created as a child tried to process whatever horrors he'd glimpsed. But it was true. Martin Whitly isn't just a murdering scumbag- he's a murdering scumbag who let his child witness his depravity.

Gil has never wanted to kill him more.

"Why not, it's only the truth," Whitly insists, sounding unbothered. Gil knows better, though.

He chuckles harshly. "Really? Who was it, who held him through nightmares? Who clapped at his graduations? Who taught him to shave, to drive, who took over the sex talk his mother was too nervous to have? Who helped him with girl trouble, and career insecurities, and every phase of growing up? Because I was there, for all of those things and dozens of others, and I don't recall seeing you."

Martin, predictably, flings himself forward. Gil steps back, tilting his head in amusement as the chain holding the man pulls him back, not letting him cross the yellow line. Martin's spit flies at his face as the other man insists, "No matter what you do, he will always be my son."

Gil just shakes his head, giving the other man a pitying look. "That's the thing, though, Dr. Whitly. It was never what I did that drove a wedge between you and Malcolm. It was all you. I'm just the guy who was around to pick up the pieces.

With that, he leaves. He's not fool enough to think he's changed anything- Martin has always had an unhealthy obsession with his son, and after this latest bout of horrifying, Surgeon related trauma Malcolm is going to need answers only Dr. Whitly can provide. But he's taken the measure of the other man, and let Dr. Whitly takes his in turn. And now, when he's fucking with his son's head, Whitly is going to know exactly who'll be there to help Malcolm sort through the mess.

Because that's what a father does.


End file.
